Study: Agency staffing associated with lower quality measures

The increased use of agency staffing was associated with decreased performance in six of eight quality measures, a study found. Published this week in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Journal of Patient Safety, the study used national data from 2021-2022 to explore how agency staffing affected quality measures. Agency staffing use was associated with lower Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems star rating, Hospital Compare rating and the hospital Total Performance Score. However, there was no association between increased agency staffing and re-admission rates. The authors say temporary staff may be unfamiliar with a hospital’s specific requirements, resulting in difficulties in providing seamless and patient-centered care. (AHRQ Journal of Patient Safety study, 6/12/24)